Naval Research Lab Adds Plume Modeling Tool to ATAK Mobile App

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers completed integration of the Contaminant Transport Analyst (CT-Analyst) as a plugin for the Android Tactical Awareness Kit (ATAK), the Defense Department announced on May 12, 2026.

The tool reaches first responder communities that rely on ATAK, a mapping and situational-awareness application used by thousands of personnel across law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency management agencies nationwide. The Domestic Preparedness Support Initiative (DPSI) funded the work; the bundle does not specify a dollar amount.

Prior to the update, CT-Analyst operated on desktop or laptop systems that limited rapid sharing during field operations. The new plugin makes the software available on standard Android mobile devices and enables multiple users to view and manipulate the same plume model simultaneously. The capability became available immediately upon the May 12 release.

First responders can now generate and distribute hazard plume forecasts for chemical, biological, or radiological releases directly from an incident scene. Incident commanders gain the ability to push updated models to all connected team members without returning to a command vehicle.

Agencies must update their ATAK installations to the latest version that supports the plugin; training modules for the new capability are expected to follow standard DPSI distribution channels to participating jurisdictions. The change also expands the number of platforms that can receive NRL-developed transport models from fixed workstations to any Android device already cleared for ATAK use.

This release continues NRL’s incremental expansion of CT-Analyst since its initial deployment for military and civilian defense support. The laboratory has maintained the core modeling engine for more than a decade under successive preparedness initiatives that route technology from defense labs to state and local responders.

Congress has funded similar DPSI projects in recent defense appropriations to accelerate delivery of laboratory tools to domestic emergency-response inventories.